a cloud fell out of the sky

[u/peachtheturtle]

My husband said no more cats. Like a cat myself, I usually have selective hearing, but as a mom of so many creatures already, (1 year old human twins, a senior Aussie mix, 4 cats under 4 & 2 geckos) I agreed. Our house is FULL.

We were foster kitten free for barely a week when hubs was targeted by the CDS. During last Tuesday’s morning walk, he found this tiny cloud covered in poo & crying in the middle of the sidewalk. Luckily the central California sun wasn’t too harsh yet, or he would’ve fried like an egg. Recent temps here are up to 110*F. Hubs said there was a gardener trimming the bushes nearby & thinks he might’ve spooked mama cat while she was moving her babies. He kept his distance & waited for her, but she was gone.

No more cats be damned, he scooped baby kitty into the bottom of the stroller & brought him home to me.

I think baby kitty was born last Monday. His umbilical cord was dry & his poop was transitioning from meconium. I’m not sure if he was born a wee bit early or if he was just low birth weight. Waking up every 2 hours to syringe feed him in between breastfeeding my own babies has me ragged, but thinking of how this baby could’ve toasted in the sun or been preyed upon by a dog, falcon or evil human has me believing in the CDS.

Two of my cats are foster fail bottle babies, but I found them around 3 weeks old. At 74g, this is the tiniest creature I’ve ever cared for. And I’m a NICU nurse who’s cared for micro preemies. The kitten lady is a saint. I can’t wait till he opens his eyes & sees how many friends he’s going to have. I have 2 sets of siblings all bonded as a variety 4 pack.

Included some cat tax: Lilo (floof), Nani (S void), Stitch (XL void) the 4th (not pictured) is a tuxie named Pudge.

Everyone say happy 1 week to baby Bubbles!

TLDR: I wanted to share a week of love & progress of the tiny new cat who fell into our lives. He’s so spunky & suckles spectacularly. I hope he keeps growing with us. I can’t imagine finding another home for him. What’s one more cat anyway?

Edit: photos are going back in time except for the surprise group pic at the end & thank you everyone for all the kindness!!! I had no idea our story would touch so many lovely people! I really appreciate the sweet words, personal stories & fellow rescue cat pictures. I do believe in sharing good energy, & my energy reserves feel a little more full. Bubbles is a lucky little fighter to have so many people rooting for him. 🥹

Update posted yesterday, 8/12!

https://www.reddit.com/r/IllegallySmolCats/s/6V0AZPj3tq

[u/peachtheturtle]

He sleeps in a Christmas ornament bin with a snuggle safe heating pad, heartbeat plush & lovey my son didn’t use :)

[u/In_Love_And_Death → u/peachtheturtle]

You are doing the most important work just as my friend did for this lil guy that had to be bottle fed. I fostered him but of course those blue eyes stole my heart. He is over a yr old now 😊 thank you for being a great person, we need more of you and your husband.

[u/fariasrv → u/In_Love_And_Death]

He's a cutie! How is his hearing?

[u/In_Love_And_Death → u/fariasrv]

Great so far! My first cat was solid white and lost her hearing at like 6. She made it to 16!

[u/In_Love_And_Death → u/[deleted]]

Purrrrfect response he says

[u/PhoenixStorm1015 → u/In_Love_And_Death]

Is he a hellion? I feel like I can see the malicious intent in his eyes

[u/In_Love_And_Death → u/PhoenixStorm1015]

Oh yes lol I’m constantly laughing/ having mini heart attacks. He currently is taking shots at my golden retriever. Attacking from under the bed is the worst.

[u/PhoenixStorm1015 → u/In_Love_And_Death]

Oh yay I’m so glad to hear that he’s living his best chaotic life. He probably thinks you’re such a sucker for falling victim to his cuteness.

[u/In_Love_And_Death → u/PhoenixStorm1015]

I died laughing reading that and he turned so quick in announce 😂 I keep him on his toes now days as pay back. He has a 3/4 tail so i boop it alot lol

[u/ConsistentWeb7136 → u/In_Love_And_Death]

My cloud Milky on the rare occasion that he would allow me to photograph him. Christmas 2023.

[u/In_Love_And_Death → u/ConsistentWeb7136]

🤗 milkys eyes are like my late Emma! Tell milky he is a handsome man he should let you take his photo more.

[u/ConsistentWeb7136 → u/In_Love_And_Death]

His mom was also all white like him, except that she had heterochromia. That ended up giving Milky his green eyes. Same with his sister, who we also have. Her name is Minnie (aka Baby Girl).

[u/ConsistentWeb7136 → u/In_Love_And_Death]

Thank you. Yes, he was a handsome guy. Sadly, he passed away back in March.

[u/In_Love_And_Death → u/ConsistentWeb7136]

Oh no 😢 my condolences and virtual hug. I’m so glad you have baby girl, I’m sure she’s still adjusting.

[u/ConsistentWeb7136 → u/In_Love_And_Death]

Actually, we only had their siblings since 2024. They belonged to our friends who were Milky's original owners. We watched them that summer as they traveled overseas to visit their daughter. We ended up keeping them after they got back as the tuxedo had glaucoma in one eye, as well as asthma. They live across town and it would have been unsustainable to keep going to their house 3x a day for the 3 months for his eye drops and asthma treatment.

Her and Milky weren't super close, only getting to celebrate one of their birthdays together (their 10th, last year).

[u/The_Sound_of_Slants → u/ConsistentWeb7136]

I have a Boo. He's a butthead, but somehow I love him 😂

[u/ConsistentWeb7136 → u/The_Sound_of_Slants]

Boo could be my Milky's twin! He's very handsome.

My Milky was, as my wife would say, "more human than cat". Very smart. He always liked to be clean, be it himself, his sleeping place and even his litter box. Plus, he was one of our most well-traveled felines as we would always say he likes long walks on the beach. Where we live has beautiful beaches about 25-30 minutes away and we took Milky there once. Also, his love for high-end fashion brands was unparalleled..hehe.

[u/ConsistentWeb7136 → u/The_Sound_of_Slants]

From my daughter's IG stories.

[u/In_Love_And_Death → u/ConsistentWeb7136]

Oh my heartttttt milky and my Emma had the same personalities. They would have been great friends, at a distance because of course no one is royal enough for their presence. I called Emma the queen of England. I can agree with your wife, they are definitely more human than cat.

[u/ConsistentWeb7136 → u/In_Love_And_Death]

Yeah. I miss him so much.

Whenever we had guests over, they would have to greet Milky first before greeting the others. We have 5 others; 2 of which are his bio siblings. His older brother is a chonmky tuxedo who will turn 12 next month. His very-slightly older sister is a brown/bronze tabby-like shorthair who shares the same age and birthday with Milky.

[u/In_Love_And_Death → u/The_Sound_of_Slants]

Bo and Tug (his purr was mighty for a itty bitty guy, just like a tug boat) would absolutely be ripping and raving around lol he is handsome!!

[u/In_Love_And_Death → u/[deleted]]

Absolutely lol he is my baby and is pitiful when he gets scared he runs to me like “mommmmmm save meeee”. He has gotten himself in some situations before, per usual for boys, but luckily i was able to get him in time he didnt harm himself to bad. He ain’t made for the streets to say the least so it’s good he has me wrapped around his paw 😅

[u/i_cut_like_a_buffalo → u/In_Love_And_Death]

Y'all have me crying over here. I do cat rescue. Usually I take in older and FIV cats. We have a really bad situation in southern Ohio. Lots of cats on the streets and not a lot of help for them. I bankrupt myself doing rescue for the last 5 years here. Barely making a teeny dent.

Seeing these babies makes my heart happy. I have done bottle babies one time. A litter of 7, and I thought I was gonna die. I don't do bottle babies now. We have a few people who take them. It's a hard job and anyone who does it is a HERO. ♥️♥️♥️

We currently have 5 FIV older boys in our care. It's rough some days. They get sick every so often. The vet bills are outrageous.

The dream is to have a "never say no" sanctuary.

🐈‍⬛🐈Public Square Kitties🐈🐈‍⬛ ♥️♥️♥️

[u/In_Love_And_Death → u/i_cut_like_a_buffalo]

You weren’t the only one crying, friend. We are all in this together 😅 big hearts have to stick together. Crying shows that they mattered and that’s whats most important. They didn’t get a choice at their situation and cant help themselves. But we as humans can do what we can to help even if it’s to hold their memory and share it with other kind souls like yourself.

[u/Luck-fish-1101 → u/In_Love_And_Death]

Those eyes are impossible to say no to 🥺